Unseeded Serena Out-Muscles Willowy Myskina in Cincy Comeback

Posted on July 19, 2006

A relaxed, slimmed-down Serena Williams, playing her first event since the Australian Open in January, brutalized stick-figure No. 2 seed Anastasia Myskina 6-2, 6-2 to move into the second round at the WTA stop in Cincinnati.

"I felt really relaxed. I haven't felt this way in a long time," said Serena, who has been out with a chronic knee injury, beating the Russian in under an hour. "I almost could have played Wimbledon. I was about 60 or 70 percent then. But I probably would have had an embarrassing loss."

Williams out-muscled the willowy Myskina from the baseline, making the No. 11-ranked Russian look powerless after she entered the match with wins in 14 of her last 18 matches.

"She hadn't played in six months, so I didn't know what to expect," Myskina said. "Her serve was pretty good. I knew I was going to have to keep winning my serve if I was going to stay in the game."